Castillo de San Marcos
Standing in this spot for hundreds of years, the Castillo de San Marcos is an engineering marvel. Built out of coquina stone- a rock quarried along the coast that is composed mainly of seashells, the walls of the fort, which I believe are about 12 feet thick, have withstood canon fire, as the canon balls either bounced off, or simply embedded into the coquina, rather than being cracked or blown apart!
Many of the small forts in the area had been made of wood, but this and the one at the Matanzas inlet, further south, were coquina, and still remain, long after their counterparts have disappeared.
This view is looking at the southern wall of the fort near the entrance. The grounds are about five or six acres, and sit right on the Matanzas River, giving stunning views of the waterway, which still is full of sailboats, and sometimes even tall ships. St. Augustine is one of the few places in the United States where you can really experience history, as it is still in full view.
Castillo de San Marcos
Standing in this spot for hundreds of years, the Castillo de San Marcos is an engineering marvel. Built out of coquina stone- a rock quarried along the coast that is composed mainly of seashells, the walls of the fort, which I believe are about 12 feet thick, have withstood canon fire, as the canon balls either bounced off, or simply embedded into the coquina, rather than being cracked or blown apart!
Many of the small forts in the area had been made of wood, but this and the one at the Matanzas inlet, further south, were coquina, and still remain, long after their counterparts have disappeared.
This view is looking at the southern wall of the fort near the entrance. The grounds are about five or six acres, and sit right on the Matanzas River, giving stunning views of the waterway, which still is full of sailboats, and sometimes even tall ships. St. Augustine is one of the few places in the United States where you can really experience history, as it is still in full view.